Definitions for "Matte shot"
the optical process of combining (or compositing) separately-photographed shots (usually actors in the foreground and the setting in the background) onto one print through a double exposure that does not meld two images on top of each other, but masks off (or makes opaque and blank) part of the frame area for one exposure and the opposite area for another exposure; the second image is printed in the masked-off area; it is a photographic technique whereby a painting or artwork from a matte artist - usually painted on glass - is combined with live action footage to provide a convincing setting for the action; also sometimes known as split-screen. Example: In Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958), this complicated shot combined a real roof and a matted belfry in the background with an added silhouette in the foreground. Also used to combine a cartoon character with a human actor (e.g., Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)); the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
the process of combining separately photographed shots onto one print, usually used to create special effects such as combining a cartoon character with a human actor (e.g., Who shot Rodger Rabbit?).
A partially opaque shot in the frame area. The shot can be printed with another frame, hiding unwanted content and permitting the addition of another scene on a reverse matte.